The present invention relates to fishing reels, and in particular a combined crank and braking mechanism for fishing reels.
Fishing reels are conventionally provided with a braking mechanism for controlling the amount of drag on the fishing line being reeled out by a hooked fish. The greater the amount of drag, the harder it is for the fish to pull on the line and the faster the fish becomes tired. By properly controlling the amount of drag, the fish becomes sufficiently tired to be reeled in before all the fishing line is reeled out. However, if too much drag is placed on the reel, the line can break.
A variety of fishing reel drives and braking mechanisms are known. Attention is directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,076,097; 2,836,995; 3,326,492; 3,375,993; 3,990,323; and Re. 24,153, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference. A conventional braking mechanism includes a manual control member referred to in the trade as a star wheel as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,076,097. The star wheel is threaded onto the shaft used for reeling in the fishing line. The axial position of the star wheel on the shaft controls the amount of drag.
A problem that occurs even with experienced fishermen is that the amount of drag placed on the reel is made too large or too small. This is a common problem because the fishermen becomes excited when a fish is first hooked. If the amount of drag is too large, the line can break. If the amount of drag is too small, the line can run out before the fish can be reeled in.
With expensive fishing reels, costing hundreds of dollars, a pre-set drag control mechanism can be provided to avoid this problem. However, no such mechanism is available for the less expensive reels. Thus, while the rich fisherman catches his fish, the average fisherman is left with an empty line, if any line at all.